Yesterday, some promises were kept, others were postponed and some were made. But in a post-Inauguration and sleep-deprived haze, it can be hard to remember which is which.
One promise that was kept, though, was the promise made at a New York Times Talks panel on Obama’s first 100 days: that Thursday morning, the paper would not feature the typical swearing-in photo, and it doesn’t! Aren’t they cute? Not maybe as cute as the thought of the inauguration party that Sasha and Malia had last night at the White House, but very little probably could be.
In the mean time, there were plenty of disappointed inaugural ticket holders, what with the clusterfuckery of non-coordination that was security yesterday even for people (unlike me) lucky enough to have tickets or press seating. And, of course, no one was more disappointed that Hillary, whose promised confirmation by unanimous consent yesterday was derailed by Texas Senator John Cornyn because apparently it hasn’t yet gotten uncool in some Republican circles to hate Bill Clinton. She is supposed to be up for a vote today, though, at which point she’ll join her 7 Cabinetry colleagues in confirmation splendor.
As for other promises kept (other than that whole first-black-President thing), Obama ordered a suspension to prosecutions at Gitmo yesterday, Rahm put a stop to all pending regulation until the Administration can conduct a review and Obama reportedly plans to end the Mexico City policy (i.e., the global gag rule) by executive order this week. Oh, and the new White House website makes a couple snide remarks about Bush, which is just fun.
In illness watch, Ted Kennedy is reportedly recovering from his seizure yesterday which his staff says doctors think was brought on by fatigue. Health and Human Service Secretary nominee Tom Daschle was not in DC yesterday because he’s taking care of a brother with brain cancer.
The best news, however, is that Barack is a fellow wine drinker. Reuters says
The White House has no official wine cellar but wines are chosen by a small team for specific events, based on their affinity with the menu as well as politically correct pairing depending on the guests in attendance.
I’d be more than happy to be part of this “small team,” so, um, hey, Desirée Rogers? Give me a call. Unlike my language my palate is pretty refined.